The Worst Witch 2017 - Doing what the teachers should be doing
by the stargate time traveller
Summary: Mildred is tired of the fights she has with Ethel. Deciding to take the law into her own hands and ignoring the teachers who should have cleared the mess up long ago, she takes the first step to reconciling with the blonde girl once and for all before its too late.


I don't own the Worst Witch, its settings or characters. I just own this story and my own little corner of Fandom where I can have fun with the plotlines.

A/N - A little collab fic with Hallow Sisters on my Mind, enjoy and feel free to leave feedback.

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Doing what the teachers should be doing.

Mildred Hubble sighed as she walked down the familiar corridor to the bedroom of one of the Academy's most notorious students (for a moment she kicked herself for being so melodramatic, but it was true). Part of her would be lying if she wasn't scared about how this would turn out, but she was hopeful that this would turn out the way she wanted.

If it didn't then she had no idea how bad things would get.

A lot had changed for her at Cackles. Yeah, while the revelation she and her family had magical ancestry was a shock and she knew it would change everything, she knew it would take ages for her to reach the same level of the other girls at the school who had dodged the hurdles she had come across years before they had even ridden into Cackles for the Entrance Exam. But Mildred was optimistic on that front; even if the teachers might mark her down as bottom of the class before the tests, indicating just how much faith they actually had in her abilities, even though she knew deep down that it wouldn't make any difference, she was getting better at magic, she just needed time to get it together.

In the meantime, she had another chore to carry out. It was the start of a brand new term at Cackles, and while Mildred was hoping that this year would be the one where things would start to get better for her, she wanted to turn over a new leaf with one girl in particular.

She arrived at her destination and she took a moment to get her act together. _Get a grip, Mildred, _she thought to herself, _just take it easy, and try to hope for the best. Hopefully, you've caught her at a good time. _

She grimaced at the thought but she pulled her courage together and knocked on the door.

"Come in," she heard from the other side, and she took a deep breath and pushed the door open so she could walk in. She found the object of her worries inside with her back to her, the long blonde hair which was always of great shampoo quality done up in its usual ponytail, while a black cat watched her through guarded and suspicious yellow-green eyes.

Ethel was busily sorting out her things, unpacking and getting everything sorted out in order. Mildred would not be surprised in the least if, in contrast to herself, Ethel had everything arranged in alphabetical order.

Ethel turned around to see who it was, and the hopeful smile on her face told Mildred the blonde girl had been hoping to see one of her sisters. But when she saw who it was, the blonde groaned in annoyance.

"Oh," she said looking at Mildred as though the brunette was a dog turd she'd just walked in, "it's you."

Mildred couldn't help her reaction even if it was not the best idea. She rolled her eyes at what the middle Hallow sister had said and her general attitude. "Hello, Ethel," she began, hoping that the bad feeling she was getting at this bad omen about how things were going to be here right now and how they would be further through the year, "how was your summer?"

A split second of sadness appeared in the blonde girls' eyes, but it was so fleeting it may not have been there, but Mildred had noticed it thanks to her long experience with the girl. "Fine," she replied shortly, clearly showing she did not want to think or even talk about the topic in question, and Mildred wondered just how things had gotten; she wasn't stupid, she knew the Hallow sisters all had issues and problems with their parents, something she could believe considering how dismissive Mrs Hallow was towards her daughters during that time the Founding Stone had gone missing from the hall after Bea and Sybil had accidentally taken it from its display, that woman had just been so cold.

And then there was how she had forged that petition to get Miss Cackle fired. Mildred may have her own issues with the woman, but she hadn't wanted her fired, though some of her reasons were self-serving. Not only had Mrs Hallow dismissed Ethel and Sybil's educations since the firing would definitely affect them, but Mr Hallow had not helped.

Mildred hadn't been around, but the fact Esmerelda had left home to come straight to the school to see her two sisters said volumes about her intentions, though the older girl hadn't gotten far enough.

At the end of last year, Ethel had found a way to get Esme her powers back, something the elder Hallows and indeed Miss Cackle and Miss Hardbroom had failed to do. Mildred knew that there would be consequences for the younger Hallows, but she honestly hoped it was nothing serious, but once again her ignorance of magical lore and customs was not helping her.

The fact Ethel did not want to speak about her sister made her fear and think the worst, but the fact all three girls were together in the school for the first time ever made Mildred optimistic things were okay now. She hoped.

Mildred decided to change to a different tack. "How are your sisters?"

For the first time, Ethel brightened since this conversation had begun. "They're both good," she replied happily, "Esmie is glad to be back at school."

Privately Mildred had the feeling the elder blonde was happier she was with her sisters full time again; indeed, when she had seen Esmerelda, back in her Cackles uniform, she had been less happy to be close to the teachers, and she had even seen Esme scowl and glare at them, so something must have happened there. But she had been happy to be with Ethel and Sybil again.

"I can imagine," Mildred smiled genuinely, pushing her thoughts on the matter aside; as long as the Hallow sisters were happy, that was the most important thing. "She'll get to be with the ones she loves at last, you and Sybil."

Mildred had meant that as a compliment but the reaction she had got back from Ethel in return worried the brunette girl.

Ethel looked away, her smile completely vanishing from sight, replaced by a look of loss and sadness. It was terrible for Mildred to see. But what she said next worried Mildred even more, and she wondered to herself whether or not Ethel was deliberately trying to tell herself what she was saying was true; it certainly seemed like that, and that terrified Mildred even more.

"I'm not sure about that. Sybil, yes," Ethel shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, but the sadness the brunette could clearly see was worrying, "but for me? Not so much."

Mildred sighed at the thought of the blonde witch putting herself down by convincing herself Esmerelda and Sybil didn't love her. It was ridiculous because Mildred _had _seen the three together, and the other two Hallow girls couldn't hide how they felt about their middle sister.

Ethel looked up and sighed. She wanted to be alone now, alone with her depression, but truthfully at this point, Mildred wasn't giving her any grief. "Anyway," she began, deciding to be civil with the brunette for a change and deciding to be civil with her, "how was your summer?"

"Oh, not too bad," Mildred answered, knowing immediately what the blonde was trying to do, only she wasn't going to let it happen. "Try not to put yourself down all the time, Ethel. Esmerelda and Sybil both love you really. I've seen how the two of them are with you; Esmerelda loves you, she always has. Sybil has as well. So much."

Even as she said that Mildred couldn't help but feel that same irrational jealousy she'd always had towards the sisters for their bond. Mildred had always wanted a sibling, or a cousin to play with. It was very lonely being the only child in the family, and while she had her mum, her gran, and her aunt, it wasn't the same.

That was why she was jealous of the Hallow sisters, but unlike Ethel, who went off in jealous fits over things she didn't have, Mildred knew it wouldn't change a thing. What would be the point, it wasn't going to hive her a brother or a sister on a plate, was it?

"No-one loves me," Ethel's reply was no quieter than a whisper, really, and it frightened her even more, "she shrugged, clearly believing everything she had just said. The fact she did was worrying, and she cursed the Hallow parents for making Ethel feel this way. "Anyway, did you want something?"

The longer she and Mildred talked about this topic, the more uncomfortable Ethel was becoming. She didn't like talking about these subjects any more than she liked thinking about them. But she wanted to be civil. She just was not in the mood to lash out at anyone. Not right now, though she knew her hot temper would ignite if pushed too much.

Meanwhile, Mildred was getting increasingly upset with what she was hearing. _What the hell happened to you to make you think __**your own sisters **__hate you and don't love you? _she thought to herself with real genuine pity in her heart for this girl. She suddenly felt a hot swoop of anger directed towards Mr and Mrs Hallow. _What the fuck did you do to her?!_

Suddenly Mildred remembered what she had wanted to say to Ethel. "Yeah," she replied, happy to get back to the matter at hand, though whether or not she would actually like what she heard in return she had no way of knowing. "Ethel, why do we fight?" she asked.

Ethel was taken aback by the question and she looked at Mildred straight in the face. "What did you say?" the blonde asked, wondering if she had misheard the brunette.

"I asked you why do we fight?"

Ethel still looked surprised by the question, but she quickly got over her surprise and shrugged carelessly. "We fight because we're enemies and you hate me?" she said, voicing the last part as a question, but she looked straight into Mildred's face as though the answer was as obvious as the fact two and two made four.

But this time it was Mildred's turn to be taken by surprise at the question. _Does Ethel really think I hate her and is this why she is constantly at war with me, lashing out like a vicious dog every time because she is expected too? No wonder she's so messed up… _"I don't hate you, Ethel," Mildred replied, mentally kicking herself for not trying to have this conversation with Ethel in the past, but unfortunately in their first year together, Ethel had been as explosive and as volatile as nitroglycerine. But she had followed Maud and Enid's leads even though all of her instincts screamed at her to try to speak to the girl, and hopefully, find a peaceful way of settling their arguments. But Mildred was now older and hopefully wiser. She had come here without her friends and had come alone to speak to the girl like an adult, knowing Ethel well enough to know the blonde would appreciate it.

Ethel just waved a hand dismissively. "It's okay," she replied like it was no big deal, though the fact the girl was dismissive of this subject was more worrying to Mildred, "you don't have to pretend. I know you hate me-."

"No, I don't," Mildred replied, mentally checking through her mind the times she had crossed with Ethel, and she knew that she must have given the blonde a huge amount of evidence, flawed as it was, to make her think what she was saying was gospel truth.

"I know what you and your friends think of me-," Ethel looked at her.

"Look," Mildred was becoming exasperated with Ethel putting herself down all the time, "I don't care about what Maud and Enid think about you; this is between us. Yes, I hate the way you act, but that is a big difference from hating you personally."

Suddenly something snapped in Ethel, and despite her best efforts because she could see Mildred Hubble was trying to make some kind of peace between them both, she glared at her hotly. "Is there? Why do you care?"

For a moment Mildred was taken by surprise by the anger she could see right there in the blonde girls' expression, and for a moment she asked herself if she was in way over her head, but she pushed that thought aside. She was determined to try to get through to Ethel, and while it might be tempting to turn her back and give up on the blonde as a lost cause like Maud, Enid, Miss Cackle and Miss Hardbroom, and most likely Mr and Mrs Hallow had done already, Mildred pressed on.

"I care because we are both getting older," Mildred began, putting on as mature a tone as she could since only by being mature were they going to get through this mess, "and I do not want to fight anymore. I don't know about you Ethel, but I didn't come to school to make enemies. I didn't, I came to become a witch. I care because, well, let's face it, the teachers aren't going to do anything."

She paused to let Ethel absorb these facts, hoping the blonde girl caught on with where she was going because they both knew what she had just said in that last sentence was the truth.

The teachers had never expended the effort to really stop Mildred or Ethel from fighting. Oh, one or two of them came down hard on them, and while Cackle and HB referred to it as "a feud," they didn't seem to care. Several of the teachers had turned the other way, seemingly willing to let the girls from really fighting so then it would sort itself out on its own. Others like Miss Drill and Mr Rowan-Webb didn't allow the fighting to exceed their own limitations.

Sometimes Mildred had the suspicion either Cackle or HB or more likely both of them had told the teachers not to bother with the fights unless it exceeded their limits. That would explain why everyone was so hands off in regard to what was going on.

But even the teachers had their limits. That business with the stupid Friendship trap was one such example. How stupid could the teachers be? Did they really think for one moment something as stupid as a Friendship trap was going to work on either her or Ethel? Yes, the pair of them had worked together to save Sybil when the younger of the Hallow sisters had been terrified by that Wildfire spell which had gone hideously wrong. And yes the Trap had fallen away the moment they had helped Sybil. Hell, Ethel had even said herself nothing had changed, which showed that while the Friendship trap might work on some, it didn't always work in the long term.

"What does that mean?" Ethel asked curiously as she wondered where this was leading up to.

"Simple," Mildred was rather disappointed the other girl hadn't worked it out for herself yet, "if we want to stop the fighting, then we will have to work on it ourselves."

Ethel just shrugged.

Mildred took that as a hopeful sign. She knew Ethel thrived on logic and reasoning. "Ethel," she said to highlight her case, "we don't have to be friends, we can still argue if you want, but do we really have to go too far?" she finished, looking hopefully at her blonde classmate.

Ethel didn't say anything for a long moment, Mildred took that to mean that she was thinking everything that was just said over. But then the blonde witch stood up and returned to her things. She gathered a whole bunch of books and dumped then on her bed.

"This is your problem, Mildred," the blonde witch said, "you think everything is a dream, this is the reality. You think we can just be civil and that's it? No your friends hate me, and no-one is ever going to trust me not to be playing games, and I understand that I do after what I have done, but don't you realise being civil will be much harder because no-one will ever let us be?"

The first thing Mildred felt for that response was anger, but somehow she was able to put a lid on her temper at Ethel's casual dismissal at her proposal "You're wrong," she said, satisfied when she saw Ethel become still and turn to see what she was wrong about, "I don't think everything is a dream; some things are, but that is the way things are. But why do you think no-one will let us be?"

She was really confused about that last part and she was hoping Ethel enlightened her.

Ethel spared her a brief smile. "Because, no offence, Mildred but you can be gullible, everyone will think I am playing games and you are falling for it, they will try to warn you off me, and accuse me of messing with you, I know what the girls in this school are like."

As much as she wanted to deny what Ethel was telling her, Mildred knew Ethel had a point. She was quite gullible - she still couldn't believe she fell for Ethel's prank involving Mr Rowan-Webb, but surely there was a way around this mess.

But there was something on Mildred's mind, and she was going to get answers. "Ethel, tell me honestly, do you like us fighting all the time?"

Ethel sighed wearily, and she sat down on her bed. "It is exhausting, I feel like I have done cross country afterwards."

"That's how I feel," Mildred replied. "Why not stop it now before it gets completely out of hand? Let's stop it together, now, before we destroy ourselves. Oh, come on Ethel," she went on, looking at her blonde classmate to make her see some sense in this, "you're smart. You're effortlessly smarter than I am. Surely it's better to make peace before something happens?"

Ethel looked more lost and uncertain than Mildred had ever seen the girl. "I…I don't know how," she said, looking scared at the thought of changing her ways although Mildred could easily tell the girl was putting a lot of thought into it. "I don't know how to change. This is who I am."

"I know how," Mildred said, knowing she was pushing the limits here, "let people in. Stop pushing them away, let them see who you really are, not who and what you want them to see."

"How do I do that?"

"Your sisters."

Ethel looked at Mildred funnily. "What about them?"

Mildred took a deep breath; this was going to be even harder than she expected. "Ethel, I know you think they are loving you because they have no choice, but it isn't true, they love you so much, they want you to love them too, I see how hurt they get when you push them away, start letting them in."

"What would you know-?" Ethel began to ask, her temper visibly rising, but Mildred cut in quickly to try to make the blonde see her point even if it made her angry to hear it.

"I've seen how they love you; Sybil was concerned about you when you were attached to me, Esme would look heartbroken each and every time you rejected her," Mildred told her.

Mildred fully expected Ethel to lose it right there, right then; but she didn't. Instead, she did something Mildred had not expected from the blonde girl who had been her classmate for some time.

"I don't want to be hurt again," the girl said plaintively as if she wanted Mildred to understand her points and reasons for what she did, "letting people in, letting them know I love them. It just results in tears."

Mildred licked her lips, knowing now what she was going to say would not be easy. This was going to strike a pretty tender nerve. " Ethel, Esmerelda and Sybil are not your mother and father, they would never do that to you."

Ethel shot her a hot glare, and Mildred sighed as she realised that it was a nerve. Still, she had come this far, it was a good idea to keep going.

"I don't know exactly what happens at home, but I know you have problems with your mother and father, but you can't let it destroy your life Ethel, or you will only end up unhappy," Mildred went on, knowing she had to press on even if it pissed the blonde off.

Ethel was glaring at her hotly now, her face so red it was a wonder the girl didn't burst into flames. "Who are you," she ground out in a hot, incensed voice, "to tell me what I can do with my life?"

Mildred knew she was pushing the limits. "I am no-one but I am trying to help you. Do you want to end up like Agatha? Alone and picking on children because you have nothing else?"

Ethel leapt to her feet, furious - Mildred knew she had pushed the limits there, and she deserved this. "I AM NOT AGATHA!" she screamed.

Mildred remained as calm as she could in the face of the blonde witch's anger. "No," she agreed, "but bitterness, jealousy, anger, it all goes down the same path."

The reply snatched all of the anger in Ethel's face, and now she looked terrified of the idea she was going to be Agatha one day. Mildred couldn't blame her.

"Is that what you really want, Ethel?" Mildred asked solemnly while she was wondering if she was becoming a Jedi Master with what she was saying about hatred, hoping that her attempts for stopping Ethel from becoming yet another victim of the Witches code were working. "To be alone, bitter and twisted... pushing your sisters until you have really convinced yourself they don't love you? I don't know about the Cackle twins, I don't care about them either especially since so much could have been done to prevent it in the first place, but you...you still have a chance."

And she did. Ethel was still young, and she was a long way from the level of Agatha, though if allowed to go further, then Mildred would see another victim being twisted. She didn't want that to happen, she knew it would devastate Sybil and Esme who loved Ethel so much.

Ethel was visibly becoming convinced by her arguments and her anger was disappearing, but Mildred is horrified to see the girls in tears as she looks at her again. "What would you know?" she asked, looking scathingly at Mildred, although the brunette was thankful it wasn't as bad as usual. "You have a perfect life, perfect friends, perfect mum, happy, free, and liked by everyone, your life is easy. It doesn't matter what I do, I am still treated like dirt."

"So am I," Mildred replied, unsurprised Ethel would say something like that since she had said it before. But she decided to just come out and tell the blonde a secret as a token of goodwill.

Ethel looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"You are blind Ethel," Mildred began. "You think Miss Cackle and HB love me, but they don't, they love I make them look good, they bring my mum into school weekly to tell her everything wrong with me and why I am a disgrace to witches. That is how they are, think of Esme, she was their favourite until she proved she loved you more than magic."

She was telling the truth. More than once the headmistress and deputy headmistress had dragged her mother into the office, telling her how bad she was doing. It was a bitter pill, but over time Mildred had come to simply not give it much thought anymore.

"But… but you help them..?" Ethel whispered.

Mildred knew what she was talking about. "I want to be a witch, Ethel; if the school lost Cackle, I would lose my chance. Everyone is fundamentally selfish, I'm no exception."

Ethel looked thoughtful and more than a little shaken by what she had discovered, but Mildred held out her hand. "Can we try to be civil?" she asked.

Ethel looked at the hand. After a long moment, she shook Mildred's hand.

" My life is not rainbows and roses," Mildred said, deciding to disclose a secret she had never told anybody, "it might seem that way to you, but you have sisters, I don't have that."

Ethel noticed the subtle tone of jealousy her brunette classmate had just used. She looked at Mildred in surprise, never expecting to hear something like that from Mildred Hubble, of all people.

"You-you're jealous of me and my sisters?" Ethel whispered in surprise, surprised since she had never imagined Mildred Hubble, of all people, for being jealous of her or her sisters.

Mildred nodded, not even denying it.

"But why?"

"I always wanted siblings. Growing up when you are the only child is incredibly lonely, you have a special bond no-one else can begin to understand and friends and support for life, you are so so lucky," Mildred said, telling Ethel nothing but the truth.

Ethel still looked surprised at the girl whose hand she was still shaking. "But...I thought you Maud and Enid thought of each other like sisters?"

Mildred shrugged. "It's not the same, but anyway you and I are just jealous of each other. I saw you and Esme on Selection Day. I saw the bond easily enough. I was so jealous when I saw the bond between you, and when the three of you are together."

"But you never….," Ethel stopped, she didn't know how to say it.

Mildred smiled, she knew how to say it. "Show it? I do, but I don't because ranting and raving won't give it to me. But we can still become friends, or whatever you want," she went on, hoping to get back to their original topic, "What do you say?"

Ethel smiled back shyly, signifying that the feud was broken.

And the teachers had nothing to do with it.


End file.
